Tadej Pogacar is skipping Vuelta a Espana to 'keep team happy', says Geraint Thomas - 'He can do it on one leg'
Published 25/07/2024 at 11:29 GMT+1
According to British cyclist Geraint Thomas, UAE Team Emirates rider and Tour de France champion Tadej Pogacar is missing the Vuelta a Espana to "keep people in the team happy." Speaking on his podcast, Thomas explained he found this out after speaking to Pogacar in the peloton, and that he believed the 25-year-old was now fully focused on the Road World Championships in September.
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Geraint Thomas has claimed Tadej Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates is not competing at the Vuelta a Espana to "keep people in the team happy."
The Slovenian became the first person since 1988 to win the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France in one season, but ruled out going for a historic treble at the Vuelta, which starts on August 17.
The 25-year-old is also skipping the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and will instead focus on the Road World Championships, which begin in September.
Speaking on the Geraint Thomas Cycling Club podcast, Ineos Grenadiers rider Thomas revealed he asked Pogacar why he was not competing at the Vuelta.
"I asked him in the peloton, and he said: ‘I need to keep people in the team happy'," Thomas said. "They have so many key riders at UAE Team Emirates. I understand that.
"Three Grand Tours at the highest level also takes a lot of energy, even for Pogacar. But he can do it on one leg. I think the World Championships are his main goal."
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Pogacar had been one of Slovenia’s main medal hopes at the Paris 2024 Olympics, but the 25-year-old made a late decision to pull out of the road race.
He originally cited fatigue as the reason behind his decision, but has since hinted that the non-selection of his girlfriend Urska Zigart was another factor.
Thomas referred to Zigart’s non-selection when discussing Pogacar’s absence from the Olympics, suggesting he didn’t believe it was the main reason behind his withdrawal.
"Now he's also withdrawn from the Olympics," Thomas said. "That course is a bit like Glasgow. He will participate there, but winning is very difficult.
"He probably wants to rest now and then aim for the World Championships, so I don't believe much of that protest story."
- 'It didn't help' - Pogacar admits girlfriend's omission swayed decision to skip Olympics
- Pogacar pulls out of Slovenia Olympics cycling squad due to 'extreme fatigue'
- Pogacar rules out Vuelta tilt to focus on Worlds, Olympics absence confirmed
Thomas will not compete at the Olympics after being left out of Team GB's five-man road team. Instead, he is relaxing after taking part in the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France.
"I'm tired, but it's a nice feeling to be able to switch off a bit now," he said. "It also feels a bit strange because you're in it for so long. But it's nice.
"I haven't done much in the past few days. Barbecuing, having a drink, those kinds of things. It's good to step out of that intense cycling bubble, which a grand tour is."
discovery+ is the streaming home of the Olympic Games, and the only place you can watch every moment of Paris 2024 this summer.
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